People

Robert McIntosh

Manager

After studying Auto Mechanics in High School, Robert attended Harvard College, where he took courses in biology, history of science, and energy systems. He graduated with a degree in the History and Science Honors Concentration in 2007. His thesis was on the necessity of social, cultural, and policy considerations during the green revolution of the 1950s. Afterwards, he worked for biofuel startup Amyris doing corporate development before shifting to the government sector in 2009. At California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District, he worked on emissions mitigation planning, as well as designing advanced transportation/energy systems for the state’s Renewable Energy Standard and AB32 scale up.

In 2010 he began his master’s education at Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment. There, he focused his coursework on transportation energy, electricity distribution/generation, systems analysis, and business processes in developing countries. Balancing coursework between energy policy, engineering, and business gave a better understanding of practical applications of advanced energy and transportation systems.

After graduation in 2012, Robert worked at Michigan startup Quantalux on improving efficiency and decreasing costs of wastewater management. After leaving Michigan he moved to Nairobi, Kenya to work on water and energy systems in the Kibera area.

Since starting work at RMI in July 2013, Robert has worked on the Reinventing Fire China project around freight transportation, industrial efficiency, and logistics. He has also worked extensively on solar uptake with the SIMPLE Balance of Systems project; performing research in Australia and assessing international and domestic markets to decrease solar system prices and increase adoption.

EDUCATION

MSc, Environmental Policy and Planning, University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and the Environment

BA, History and Science, Harvard College

Authored Blog Posts

Rocky Mountain Institute recently published a report on Boulder, Colorado’s Door-to-Downtown mobility pilot. This report details the rationale, design, operation, and results of the pilot, which offered door-to-door mobility service to downtown Boulder. Click here to download the report. Boulder, Colorado, like many cities around the United…

With car ownership expected to peak as soon as 2020, it is clear that our mobility future is rapidly shifting, changing how we get from point A to point B. It is a critical time for cities to research and pilot new business models and methods to help people move…

On a recent trip to Australia, I noticed that very few residential solar systems are leased. This is in stark contrast to the U.S., where last year 66 percent of residential solar is leased from third-party owners like SolarCity.

In developed countries, the automobile often represents the most desirable attributes of effective transportation: flexible, fast, and effortless. But is it the right choice for increasingly dense urban environments?